Real success stories

Discover the secrets to genuine success for your business and your people.

5 Stars at 30

Back when Emma McKinnon was 18, fresh out of school, and in her first job greeting guests at the front desk of Blenheim’s luxury five-star Chateau Marlborough Hotel, all she longed for was “to be in management telling people what to do.”

Bringing the museum to life

Today’s best museums are about putting across educational information in a way that’s entertaining and engaging and makes the most of a visitor’s time. Auckland War Memorial Museum is one the most outstanding in Australasia. Being one of its Visitor Hosts is among the most important jobs, ensuring millions of visitors enjoy an all-round memorable experience from the moment they arrive.

Learning to lead

Creating the right look for a building often requires blending different colours, tints and textures to get the perfect balance. Charlotte Lee from Queenstown’s Resene ColorShop has taken a similar approach when it comes to creating her career. In five years, she’s gained a mix of skills, knowledge, experience and qualifications that have helped her become one of the famous Kiwi brand’s top managers in the country.

Career lands on top of the world

There was a chance top aircraft engineer Jarrod Wood could have ended up as a car mechanic. After all, he’d always been interested in engines and some of his family were involved in motorsport so it was definitely in the blood.

Chloe’s catering career plus!

Chloe Sowden’s two favorite things in life are food and people. In her career, she has risen quickly from barista, to professional catering cook, to Business Development and Training Co-ordinator at one of New Zealand’s fastest growing food service companies.

On-job training fits Ziera shoes perfectly

Staff training is the right style and fit for the team at Ziera, New Zealand’s multi-award-winning shoe retailer. Wendy McLaughlin, National Retail Manager is a huge believer because she’s seen it work and has benefited from it herself.

airBRIDGE over troubled waters

Josh Englin relishes solving problems and creating order from chaos. He’s found the perfect career opportunity by becoming a cadet at Christchurch Airport. He’s also getting his money organised and is saving for a house. Here’s how he’s done it.

TEU to CHC: Flight on time

Kenya Campbell can’t put her finger on what fascinated her about airports, but she says it seemed it would be a pretty cool place to work. After almost a year of on-job cadet training at Christchurch Airport, she can confirm that it absolutely is! And here’s why.

Best foot forward

While Lialiai Semisi had the right attitude and commitment for a management degree, her bank account couldn’t quite stretch to cover all the bills she was accruing to study at university. She reluctantly quit being a student and got a job in retail. And wouldn’t you know it, she’s now managing a flagship New Zealand store with a management qualification under her belt thanks to on-job training. It just shows that some things are meant to be.

Gourmet tour of duty

A couple of months ago, up-and-coming NZ army chef Nicholas Todd went on one of the most exciting overseas deployments he could wish for. He’d been cooking his way towards it for several years, and last year, he put his superior culinary skills to the test to win New Zealand’s prestigious ServiceIQ Apprentice Chef of the Year Award 2017. The glittering accolade came with a stunning prize – a nine-day trip to the world-famous Melbourne Food and Wine Festival 2018.